Should Video Games Be Considered A Sport Essay

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Chess, polo and golf are among activities often considered legitimate sports. Several commercial companies are making “impressive gains in the field of standardized competition” (Graham) to gain national acceptance and legitimize recognition for professional gamer contests that would attract all age groups (Munoz). There have been competitions between video gamers in massive arenas and stadiums that have attracted millions of viewers online (Dirs). Worldwide, the fan base for video games continues to grow dramatically, surpassing viewer numbers for World Series and NBA Finals telecasts (Foster). So, should video games be considered a sport?
Discussion
The definition of the term “sports” can help examine the characteristics of video games and consider if they resemble traditional sports. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary online, a sport is “a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other. . . . a physical activity (such as hunting, fishing, running, swimming, etc.) that is done for enjoyment” …show more content…

A former judo competitor, referee and coach from Poland, Michael Blicharz (qtd. in Dirs), argues the two activities are not dissimilar. Both have tournaments or competitions to gain notoriety, involve long hours of training and intense study of opponents’ strategies, use established sets of regulations or rules and display strong emotional responses when winning or losing. Blicharz adds that although physical exertion is normally a characteristic of sports, this limitation has not prevented activities such as “darts or snooker from [being placed] . . . under the sporting umbrella.” Graham believes video gaming actually surpass the traits of traditional sports because it offers new entertaining diversions but like traditional sports still emphasizes “teamwork, collaboration, and critical evaluations of any given game

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